The Both of Us
by Jas is a Nerd
Summary: What if Joel died instead of Tess? This is my take on what might've happened if Tess and Ellie were the main characters. Including Tess's backstory and sisterly bonding? Maybe. AU/Mentioned JoelxTess
1. The Capitol Building

_I've had this idea for awhile and I just needed to get this out so tell me what you think! I'm really surprised I never saw this plot yet!_

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"Tess, you took this job. Take the kid and go. I'll buy you some time." Joel pointed his gun to the door where the trio could hear soldiers running and shouting. Tess looked at Joel in bewilderment. "No fucking way, Joel. I need your help to get her to Tommy!" Joel glanced at Tess and quickly looked away, pain growing in his face. He kept his eyes fixated on the door. "Tess-"

"Holy shit," Ellie backed away from Joel. "He's infected." Tess felt her heart drop. "Joel." He didn't turn to look at them. "Joel!" He pulled aside his collar showing a bite mark that was already showing signs of purple and reds. Tess squint her eyes. "Goddamn it! Fuck!" She shouted pacing quickly.

"Tess, do this for me. Get out now. Do not let this be in vain." Joel tried to keep his voice steady but Tess could tell he was just as lost as she was. They'd known each other almost twenty fucking years. "Now you get this girl to the Fireflies. Cause this is real, Tess." The banging at the door continued and Joel pointed his gun back at the door. "Ellie, go through that room and up the stairs." Ellie hesitated. "Get a move on. Now!" Tess yelled. Ellie turned and ran towards the stairs.

She touched Joel on the shoulder. "Oops, right?" She muttered. Joel gave a half laugh and looked her in the eyes. "We're shitty people, Tess." Joel joked and kissed her on the forehead. "Back at you, Texas." Tess gave one last look at her partner and ran towards the room Ellie was in not daring to look back one more time. She made it to the room just as the front door opened. "Drop your weapon now!" She heard a soldiers voice shout. There was gunfire. Then it was silent. Tess fought back tears for the first time in awhile. She looked behind her at Ellie. This girl better be worth it.

"Shit. Tess I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this." Tess shook her head and held up a finger. "What happened in there," She pointed behind her. "We're not going to talk about it, understand?" Ellie nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Let's get out of here. Stay close to me."

The duo rushed up the stairs and around the balcony. Tess willed herself to keep her eyes forward and not look down. She wasn't going to taint the memory of her Joel like that. They moved through the Capitol as stealthily as they could even though Tess wanted to put a bullet between every single soldier's eyes.

Tess picked up a shotgun from what she assumed was a dead Firefly. "They went this way!" She heard. _"Right on fucking time." _She thought. "Ellie, do you know how to shoot a gun?" Ellie nodded. "Alright, here. Don't waste a single bullet. And use it for emergency." Ellie nodded again taking the revolver from her hands. "Okay, just like military school." She muttered to herself.

Tess moved from behind her cover momentarily to fire a shot into a soldier, killing him instantly. Ellie was on the other side of the hall sneaking behind a soldier. She lept onto his back and dug a pocket knife into his neck, bringing him down with only minimal noise. Tess looked impressed. "Come on, Ellie. This way." She led them down a flight of stairs until they reached a drop. "Careful. Follow my lead." Tess motioned to Ellie to jump after her.

"Tess, how are we gonna get out of here?" Ellie asked. "Stay down," Tess said looking through a doorway. "We can sneak past but I'm not sure how many there are." They snuck into a big room with about five soldiers scanning around. If they could make it out the door they'd be good.

Tess and Ellie took cover behind a shelf right across from the exit. The soldier that was closest to it was turned around. It was now or never. "Ellie, make a dash for it I'll be right behind you." Ellie briskly went through the door and took cover behind the pillar, waiting for Tess. Tess inhaled deeply and ran for the exit. Suddenly she was grabbed roughly from behind and the length of a gun was pressed to her throat cutting off her air.

"I got a Firefl-" The soldiers call was cut short by the sound of gunfire and a bullet in his head. Ellie stood at the doorway, the gun still smoking. "Oh fuck that was intense." She whispered. Tess caught her breath before grabbing Ellie's hand and running towards the subway entrance. "Don't stop moving, Ellie!" Tess shouted hearing soldiers in the tunnels. They passed an old train with soldiers on it and entered a big room. Spores thickened to air mercilessly. Tess quickly snapped on her gas mask and looked worriedly towards Ellie until she remembered, _"She's already immune. No gas masks necessary." _

They kept walking through the trains until they reached water. "Uh remember? I can't swim?" Ellie shouted as Tess entered the water. "Seriously? I'll figure something out. Sit tight." She looked around in the water until she spotted a wood platform. She pushed it over to Ellie. "Hop on, kid." Ellie looked skeptical. "Wait are you sure?" Tess huffed. "Ellie." She said firmly. "Okay okay. Please don't drown me." Ellie carefully skipped onto the wooden and held on for dear life.

Tess pushed Ellie towards a platform with a ladder on top. "Okay hop on up there and push the ladder down for me." Tess said pressing the wood as close to the wall as she could. "Got it." Ellie climbed up and sent the ladder down.

They walked through the tunnels and eventually met with stairs leading up. "Alright let's get out of here." Once in the fresh air Tess whipped off her gas mask and let out a few coughs. She sat on the grass to clear her head a bit. Ellie stood in front of her pacing back and forth nervously.

"Hey. About Joel? I just want to say-"

"Ellie, please just stop."

"I've lost someone I cared about too." Ellie confessed. Tess rubbed her temples. "I appreciate that Ellie but look, we're not going to bring up Joel anymore, okay? Let's keep our histories to ourselves for the most part." Tess stood up and adjusted her guns in their holsters. "Also, don't tell anybody about your situation. They'll think you're crazy or try to kill us. Most likely both. And you move when I say move. Are we clear?" Ellie looked at the ground. "Sure. Crystal." She mumbled.

"Say it back to me."

Ellie sighed haughtily. "What you say goes." Tess nodded, taking what she could get. "Okay, there a town close by. A friend of ours, Bill, he holes up over there. We need to pay him a little visit. You up for that?" Tess looked back at Ellie. "Okay."

"Alright then. Let's head to Lincoln."

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_I hope this chapter wasn't too rushed. _


	2. Lincoln: Part One

_There will be a little bit of Tess's backstory in this chapter. I do think Tess would blame Ellie a little bit for Joel's death. _

_Eh. There was a lot of guesses with Tess's character. I'm just going off of her first encounter with Ellie and her attitude towards the Fireflies. So yeah._

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"I've never been outside of a quarantine zone like this before. It's fucking awesome!" Ellie exclaimed excitedly walking over a stream after Tess. Tess sighed, still trying not to think about Joel. "Aw, fireflies! I mean real ones." Ellie pointed to a swarm by a tree. "You've really never been out in the wild like this?" Tess asked her. Ellie scoffed. "I've been in quarantine zones pretty much my whole life. I actually just came to Boston last year. I've only been outside the QZ twice including yesterday."

"And you're in military school? How the hell did you get away with that?" Tess looked back at the teen wondering if she was underestimating her. "I had a uh...friend. It was kind of her expertise. She was a lousy thief though." Ellie mused. Tess nodded. "Nice job back there with the gun, by the way. How'd you know you weren't going to blow my head off?" Ellie walked ahead. "I kind of didn't."

Tess let out a hiss of air, alarming Ellie. "I mean, I had a clear shot is all so..." Her voice trailed off slowly and she wandered if Tess was upset with her. They reached a large fence. "Here we are. Bill's town. Help me look for a way over, Ellie." Tess looked around the length of the fence until Ellie pointed out the opening at the top of the fence gate. "Hey Tess, why don't you give me a boost and I'll unchained the fence?" Tess reluctantly walked over. "Okay, careful." Tess lifted Ellie up over the opening. Ellie quickly unchained the fence and pushed open the gate with a "Voila!" Tess let out a small laugh. "Alright kid let's get going."

"Did you live anywhere before Boston?" Ellie asked after a while. Tess hesitated before answering. "Uh honestly I traveled a lot before the outbreak. I was a bit older than you actually. Skipped college and decided to travel the country." She reminisced. Ellie look puzzled. "Is college like a military school?" Tess let out a laugh. Man, this kid was young. "No. Well maybe. You still learn math, science, reading, and shit but without the guns. You could choose what you wanted to study sometimes. But college isn't- wasn't for me. So I took off."

"Did you have any family?" Tess sighed and Ellie got the hint. "Too much. Sorry. So who is this Bill guy?" Ellie asked hopping another fence. "An old business partner. He's a good guy. Just...paranoid. We're getting a car from him."

"I guess it helps to be. So let's say we get a car from this buddy of yours. Then what?" Ellie asked. "Then we go find Tommy."

"Marlene said he's Joel's brother?"

"Yup. And more importantly he's a firefly. He'll point us in the right direction. He lives far away which is why we need the car."

"Hey look," Ellie said as the entered what looked like a garden. "Gnomes. I had a book filled with these. I thought they were cute. Not fairies though. They creep me out." Tess laughed a little. "Alrighty then. Come on." The duo wandered into the middle of a street and wandered into an old bar/arcade. "Oh look at that...No fucking way." Ellie walked up to a game machine called "The Turning". "You've played this before?" Tess asked watching Ellie smash buttons. "No well, kind of. But my friend, the lousy thief, she knew everything about this game. Apparently there was this character called 'Angel Knives' who would uh...punch a hole through your stomach and kick your head off."

"I spent a lot of time playing these too when I was your age." Tess said. They left the store through the back. In the middle of the large street was a sign. "Mandatory Evacuation. To where?" Ellie read. "Quarantine zones. Where else? Some places got a heads up before the infection took its toll." Tess explained.

"Did you?"

"Nope." Ellie sighed. "Must be hard. Leaving your stuff behind like that." Ellie couldn't imagine parting with the few valuable items she had. "That wasn't usually the hard part, Ellie."

"Well. This place is very quaint." Ellie muttered after a while. Tess turned to look at Ellie quizzically. "Quaint?" Ellie shrugged. "I don't know how else you'd describe it" Tess laughed. "How about empty?" Ellie chuckled. "I guess that would be another way." They walked into a corner store, Ellie occasionally stopping to look at trinkets and such. "This place is awesome."

They walked into a diner and Ellie groaned loudly. "What's wrong?" Tess asked her worriedly. Ellie shook her head. "Nothing it's just...there's all this music here and no one is around to listen to it." Ellie looked through a pile of records and picked one up. "See this is good right here." She showed it to Tess. "Etta James? That's before my time so what on Earth do you know about that?" Ellie snickered. "Oh just a little bit. _I got you babe._" Ellie sang.

They walked through an ally until Tess put her arm in front of Ellie. "Hey what are-" Tess signaled for Ellie to be quiet. Suddenly they heard the cry of an infected rushing towards them. Ellie took out her gun but the clicker surprisingly blew up into pieces.

"Bill's traps." Tess muttered. "Stay close and be careful.' Ellie nodded.

"Hey check it out!" Tess looked back at Ellie. She was holding up a bow and two arrows. "I'm a pretty good shot with this thing." She said convincingly. "Okay, be careful where you point that thing. Come on. Through here." Tess pushed open a metal door with a creak and fell off-balance sharply. She was suddenly dragged through the air, upside down. "Oh fuck!" Ellie shouted from the doorway. She ran over to Tess, not sure of what to do.

"The fridge is the counterweight, Ellie! I need you to cut it down. Can you do that?" Ellie nodded and quickly ran over. She climbed on top of the fridge and began fumbling with the ties. "These one of Bill's traps too? Sorry but your friend is starting to seem like a huge dick!" Ellie shouted from the other side of the room. "Hurry, Ellie!" Tess thought she heard infected in the distance.

"Just cut the rope and it will bring me down!" Tess shouted. "Tess?" Ellie and Tess heard the runners and stalkers at the same time. "Shit. Here we go." Tess took out her pistol and fired at the infected the best she could before having to fight one off face to face. She punched the runner roughly across the face before shooting it close range with her gun. "How are you doing over there Ellie?" Tess kept firing at infected. She was going to need ammo soon. "I'm going as fast as I can!" Ellie complained.

"Anytime now!" Tess was then pulled upwards and the fridge Ellie was on fell to the ground. "Fuck!" Ellie exclaimed. "You okay?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay you can do it. Concentrate!"

"Here's some ammo!" Ellie smoothly tossed the packet to Tess. Tess now had to focus on protecting Ellie. Finally, Ellie cut the rope and Tess fell down roughly.

"Tess, watch out!" Tess was tackled by a runner. She struggled trying to get it off of her until the swift blow of a machete killed it. Bill reached down to grab her. "Off your ass and on your feet, Tess." Tess got up and ran after him, making sure Ellie was safely following. Bill shut the gate to the room they were just in. "This isn't going to hold them."

"Oh shit." Ellie shot at infected coming from an alley behind them. "Which way, Bill?!" Bill ran towards another alley and entered an abandoned laundromat, shooting at the infected inside. Tess was pushed against the wall by a runner but Ellie stabbed it in the back giving Tess a chance to shoot it in the head. They ran through a truck and reach one of Bill's "hideouts". Bill sealed the door behind them. Everyone was breathing heavily trying to catch their breath.

"Man," Ellie was pacing the room. "That was close." Bill walked towards her. "Thanks for the heroics and all." Bill stared at her harshly. "Uh...Ellie," Ellie held out her hand as an introduction. In one swift move, Bill put one link of a handcuff on her, and the other on a pipe attached to the wall.

"Bill!" Tess shouted. He turned around and faced her with his gun aimed. "Turn around and get on your knees." He shouted roughly. Tess slowly did as he commanded. "Any bites? Sprouts?" Bill checked her arms and back. "Damn it no, Bill!"

"I swear to god if I see so much as a twi-" His sentence was cut short with a clang and Tess looked around to see Ellie swinging the pipe that was on the wall at him. "Ellie, stop!" Tess commanded, pulling Bill back from the teen. She looked at Bill. "Are you done?" It was more of a command than a statement. Bill scoffed. "Am _I_ done?! You come into my house, set off my traps, damn near break my shooting arm- Tess who is this brat and why is she following you?" Ellie fumed.

"I am none of your goddamn business and we're here because you owe Tess and Joel some favors and you can start," She held up her wrist that was still cuffed. "By taking these off!" Tess sighed. Bill groaned. "I owe Joel and Tess? Is this a joke?"

Tess crossed her arms. "I'm taking her to the Fireflies, Bill. I need a car." Bill rolled his eyes. "Oh Tess needs a car!" He mocked in a sing-song voice. "Tess, I like you. I like you a hell of a lot better than I like Joel but what makes you think I'd just up and give you a car? And the Fireflies. Tess, you're smarter than that. What's Marlene giving you, huh?"

"Guns. But things changed, Bill."

"And Joel just agreed to tuck his tail and let you leave? What, trouble in paradise?" Bill laughed at his own joke. "Joel is dead, Bill." Tess admitted. She felt herself grow sick just admitting what had happened. "Don't ask how. Are you going to help me or not?" Tess stared Bill down. He paused for a moment taking in the news. "Like I said, even if I had a car, why would I give it to you? Might as well take my guns, my food!"

Ellie sucked her teeth. "Looks like you could lose some of that food."

Bill pointed his machete at Ellie. "Listen here, you little shit-"

"No fuck you! You handcuffed me!" Tess walked over and put her hands on Ellie's shoulders. "I need you to stay quiet, Ellie. Let me handle this." Tess looked her in the eyes. Ellie stared at her blankly but slowly nodded and folded her arms over her chest.

"Whatever favors I owe you ain't worth this much." Bill said. "They are." Tess hissed. The two adults stared each other down.

"Fine. Follow me. Grab whatever supplies you may want from here. And stay right on my ass."

"Hard to miss it." Ellie quietly mumbled.

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_Bam. Chapter 2. Things will start to deviate from the game more in the next chapter. Woot woot. Leave reviews please!_


	3. Lincoln: Part Two

_Thanks for all the views, follows, and favorites! I really appreciate it. Please leave more reviews for ideas you want to see or tips for writing. Thanks!_

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Ellie secretly flipped through magazines in Bill's hideout. They were here to pick up supplies before getting a car battery from a high school. Ellie wondered if high school was anything like military school. From the books she read there were cliques of 'cool' kids. In those respects, military school was similar. But the cool kids were really just the kids good at stealing.

"Hey!" Bill yelled from across the room. "Keep yours hands off of my shit!" Ellie narrowed her eyes. "I was organizing it for you! God!" She walked away from the shelf but not before grabbing some magazines, comics, and a few cassette tapes. He wouldn't miss them anyway. I mean, he had a whole town to himself.

Tess analyzed the map Bill had showing their route. "Tess, you and I know that kid is nothing but trouble. You keep babysitting long enough and eventually it will blow up in your face." Bill noted, loading a sawed off shotgun. "Well, I made a promise so there. Let's just get on with it." Tess examined the nail bombs Bill showed her. "Besides, we'll probably be dead in a few days. Nothing to lose on your part." Bill shook his head. "A partner's only good for one thing: getting you killed." Bill's words hit Tess hard. He was right on some counts. But her and Joel always got by together until...

Tess looked at the fourteen year old exploring the hideout. How long was this going to take really? Tess didn't really know how life would go back to normal. She was strong, yeah but Joel was basically her best friend and one of few people in this damned world she cared about. Scratch that, loved.

"Alright," Bill said noticing Tess's silence. "Once upon a time, I had somebody I cared about. A partner. Somebody I had to look after, Frank. So one day I wised up and realized it had to be just me."

"Please let's just get this over with." Tess rubbed her forehead impatiently. Bill huffed and tossed her two shotguns, one which went to Ellie. "Let's get on with it." Bill repeated.

"So we got shotguns, molotovs, and bombs. What the heck are we doing?" Ellie asked. "Well every week a military caravan rides through here. I assume they're looking for supplies but you'd be amazed at the shit they overlook. Anyway, a few weeks back they were rolling through and they get overrun by infected. The truck plows right into the side of the high school. Still sitting there with _our_ battery. And the infected. But fuck it, Tess needs a car!" He exaggerated the last part. Then he turned to Ellie. "I swear to god if you took anything-"

"I don't need any of your shit, okay? Believe me." Ellie rolled her eyes. Tess nudged Ellie forward and up the stairs of the church. "Nice place." Tess commented. "If you got anything to confess now would be the time." Bill said going through a window and onto the roof. Tess let Ellie go before her and carefully walked onto the roof. Bill pointed off into the distance. "There's the school." The football lights and large sign stuck out like a sore thumb. "Not that far then." Ellie emitted. "Past this gate is all new territory.

"Clickers." Ellie whispered crouching. The trio snuck past, using only four shivs. "I suggest we move quietly and watch for traps." They crept carefully through the church graveyard. They came upon a groupbof infected and Tess decided to try out a nail bomb. "Get behind that dumpster, quick!" Bill shouted. They heard the rough groans of infected dying and the blood splat on the pavement.

"Woah." Ellie whispered.

"We can cut through the house here." Bill said checking behind them for more infected. Tess went to open the door. "It's tied on the other side." Ellie stepped forward. "I can go through. Help me get this off." Ellie motioned towards the boarded flap on the door.

"The doggy door?" Bill questioned, laughter hinging in his tone. Ellie flipped him off, weakly. Tess tore the weak wood from the door. "Be very careful."

"Of course."

"I'll be honest, the kid knows how to handle herself." Tess smirked. "Yeah she's tough. I can only imagine what Joel would've done with her. He probably wouldn't even give her a weapon." Tess imagined.

"There's more clickers inside." Ellie said opening the door. Bill through a bottle to attract the clickers to one area and Tess through a molotov in the middle of the group.

"Okay, we have got to move quick. Get in, get out. I'm not trying to get trapped there." Bill said as they went into the backyard. "On the RV and over." They walked across a plank of wood into a treehouse. "Who the hell left this here. You got friends in town?" Ellie asked. Bill answered quickly. "No. But I got some idea who might've come through here."

After a while they were across the street from the high school. "What did I tell you? A shitload of them. Don't make a sound." Bill said leading the way. The trio tried to move stealthily but were swarmed when a runner caught Ellie stabbing another. Luckily, they managed to fight them all off.

"Oh man." Ellie said walking forward with her gun in her hands. "Shit!" She fired her gun at two infected coming from behind a bus. "They're coming from everywhere, let's go!" Bill shouted running to slice off the head of a runner.

"How do we get inside?" Tess yelled, shooting the last runner. "Someone left a ladder on the bus. Get me up there." Ellie said. Tess boosted her up and she dropped the ladder for Bill and her.

"We're okay. We just need to get to the hood of the truck." Tess ran for the door. "It's locked!" She yelled. "And incoming infected!" Ellie pointed to the fence the just walked over using the bus. They ran around the side of the building. "We just need the battery!" Bill said going through a window. Tess followed quickly and shut it behind her almost bringing in a clicker. "That's not gonna hold!" Ellie said. They heard banging on one of the doors. "Help me push this, Tess!" Ellie said trying to push a locker against the door.

"No," Bill said looking into the truck's hood. "It's empty." "What?!" Ellie and Tess shouted in unison. "It's fucking empty!" Tess threw her hands in the air. "What the fuck happened, Bill?! You said it would be here!" Tess's patience was running low. All she wanted to do was go back to her shitty home in Boston and relax with Joel. But obviously that wasn't going to happen.

"Guys!" Ellie pushed back against the door. "Where to?" Tess demanded, her voice dangerously hard. "Uh,"

"Bill, where?!"

"Anywhere but here." He started towards the door. "Get ready to run, Ellie." Tess grabbed Ellie and pushed her along. They ran down the hall of the school. Bill was obviously shaken. "Let's uh. We'll sneak out the back."

"You better know where you're going." Tess grumbled then took a deep breath. She had to calm down otherwise she would start making poor decisions.

There were so many infected lurking around and Tess was running out of alcohol to light on fire. She looked at Ellie who's face was a mix of fear and determination. "We can cut through these classrooms." Bill said. They entered what looked like a science lab. Luckily there was more alcohol and rags in there.

Tess pushed against some large doors at the end of a hall. "Help me open this." Bill and Tess got the door opened and walked inside, Ellie following. They were in a small gymnasium. "Barricade the doors. There are still more infected." Tess pushed against the mat rack that originally jammed the doors.

"That's not going to keep them for long." Tess commented. Suddenly they heard a boom from another door. "That doesn't sound good." Ellie said just as a bloater burst through. "Oh no." Bill breathed. "Ellie take cover!" Tess said lighting a molotov and throwing it at the beast, sending it's body into flames. It roared and threw a sack of mycotoxin which Tess dodged by rolling out a the way. Ellie shot at the charred body with her bow and arrow only to have the two arrows she had get stuck in the hardened fungus. Bill continued to shoot at it with a shotgun and Tess tossed another molotov at it which she followed up with shotgun blasts. Finally, the bloater fell, writhing against the ground as it died.

"What the hell was that?" Ellie asked. "A bloater. It'll rip your jaw off of your face if it lays hands on you. It's been infected for a long time." Tess said panting. "Bloater...Okay. Got it."

"Hate to interrupt your biology lesson, but can we get the fuck out of here? Please?" Bill groaned walking over the stacked bleachers. He boosted Tess and Ellie to the top and pulled himself up with the help of Tess.

They exited the back of the school and went through the torn fence. They could still hear infected behind them. "We're sitting ducks." Bill said. "There's another fence!" Ellie pointed out. "Keep going!" Tess yelled to them before shooting at an infected. She was tackled to the ground, the infected desperately trying to scratch or bite her. Then three gunshots killed the clicker that was on her. Ellie stood on the hill waving her gun. "Come on!" She yelled down to Tess.

Bill pushed the ladder over once Tess climbed up. "In the house, now." They ran inside, slamming the door behind them. "So that worked out well." Ellie said after a brief silence. Tess shook her head and wondered how this kid could be so scared one minute and joke around the next. Then Tess remembered. To make it in this crazy world you have to have some humor.

Not enticing a response, Ellie excused herself to explore the house. "Well?" Tess questioned. "Somebody had the same idea. They stole my shit." He said simply. Tess paced around. "Then what is plan B?" She said desperately. Bill fumed. "You ought to be thankful you're still drawing breath! That was plan A, B, C, all the way to fucking Z! And furthermore, you can take this job and shove it. Screw whatever Joel-"

"Don't fucking bring him into this!"

"I couldn't give a rat's ass-"

"Do not bring him into this!" Tess shouted louder, her voice cracking a little.

"You better-" Bill suddenly stopped and stared behind Tess. She looked to see a man hanging from the ceiling. "God," She whispered. She glanced back at Bill. "You know him?" Bill grit his teeth. "Frank. The only idiot who would wear a shirt like that." He almost choked on his words. He cut the rope that suspended Frank down with his machete. Bill examined the body. "He's got bites." He shut his eyes hard.

"Joel didn't want to turn either." Tess admitted. Bill looked her in the eyes. "Well fuck him." They heard the sound of an engine fighting for life from the garage. Ellie was in the driver's seat of a beat up truck. "Look what I found. It's got some juice in it." Ellie grinned.

Bill walked around to the front of the vehicle. "That's my battery! The asshole." He slammed the hood down. "Get out." He commanded Ellie. "Okay...geez." Bill tried to start the car again. "The battery is drained but the cells are alive. We push it, get it started, we can recharge the battery. Then you guys are out of my hair."

Tess nodded. "Hop in, Ellie." Bill was mumbling to himself about Frank as he opened the garage door. Tess went back inside the house to look for supplies before finding a note from Frank. Not wanting to intrude, she gave it directly to Bill. Bill sniffed and balled the paper up. "So that's how you felt." He exhaled deeply.

"Alright. Let's do it. Don't fuck this up, kid!" Tess and Bill pushed against the car. The first time the car sadly rolled to a stop down the street. Infected were started to show up. Tess shot at them and went back to pushing the car. "You really fucked my day up, Tess." Bill sighed.

The second time down the hill, Ellie popped a clutch flawlessly making both adults wonder where the hell she learned that. "Great job, Ellie!" Tess praised. "Guys!" Infected were starting to run towards them. "Let's get to the truck!"

They dropped Bill back off at his base. He laughed as he got of the truck. "Tess, you're not as smart as I thought you were. You ain't gonna make it. Oh and, here." Bill tossed Tess another gas mask. "You'd be amazed at how many cars still got gas in them." Tess weakly smiled. "I'm sorry about Frank." She said.

"Sorry about Joel. We square?" Bill asked. Tess nodded. "We're square."

"Then get the fuck out of my town."

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_So that's Lincoln. I kind of lied about the deviation in this chapter. Pittsburgh will be hella different from the game. You can guess which parts. ;)  
_

_As always, thanks for reading. Please reviews with tips, comments, and suggestions. Thanks._


	4. Welcome To Pittsburgh

_I'm writing this the same day as Lincoln: Part Two so I haven't seen new reviews as of yet. But thanks in advance?  
_

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It was raining as Tess and Ellie drove on the abandoned streets. Ellie had popped in a tape she stole from Bill filling the car with 60's era music. Tess drummed on the wheel boredly and looked in the mirror at Ellie who was reading comic books. "Damn it! Cliffhanger!" Ellie shouted frustratedly. Tess laughed.

"Okay, I know it doesn't look like it, but this is not a bad read." She showed Tess the comic that read 'Savage Starlight'. "Except for the damn cliffhanger." She mumbled.

"I'm guessing you didn't get that back in Boston." Tess teased. "Okay, it was all lying there okay?" Ellie explained quickly. "What else did you get?" Tess inquired.

Ellie grinned. "I'm sure your buddy will be missing this tonight." Ellie held up a magazine that was definitely not for minors. Tess held back her laughter.

"Light on the reading but it's got interesting photos."

"Alright let me see it." Tess reached behind her. "Woah! How...how the hell would he even walk around with that thing!" Tess laughed harder. "Give me the magazine, Ellie."

"Wait your turn, I wanna see what the fuss is about!" Ellie giggled and flipped through more pages. "Ugh. Why are these all stuck together." Tess shook her head. "I'm fucking with you." She laughed and rolled down the window. "Bye bye dudes." She threw the magazine out into the rain.

"I'm more of a ladies man myself." Ellie said moving up to the passenger seat. Tess snickered. "Girl, back before the infection you could only get married to the same gender in 13 states." Ellie looked at Tess crazily. "Out of 50?! No fucking way." Tess nodded. "People were shitty then too."

"Did you ever get married?" Ellie asked. Tess nodded. "Twice. Both times ended badly." She shifted in her seat. "I was way too young the first go round. The second? Shit happens."

Ellie hummed along to a song that had been replayed twice now. "You know what?" She asked. "This isn't that bad." Tess smiled at the teen. "Get some sleep, alright?" Ellie huffed. "I'm not even tired." Tess rolled her eyes knowing that Ellie would be out in maybe 30 minutes.

Ellie woke up to bright sunlight on her face. "Oh shit," Tess mumbled. "The road is blocked." Ellie looked to the right where another street was clear. Tess hesitated wondering if she should turn back.

"Now what?" Ellie yawned. Tess looked behind them. It was too late to go back to the last exit. She turned right. Ellie looked out the window at the brownstones that swept past them as they drove.

Suddenly a man stepped in front of the car. "Help me!" He shouted. Tess clenched her teeth, old memories resurfacing. "Put your seatbelt on Ellie." Ellie stared at her. "We're not gonna help him?"

Tess put both hands on the wheel. "He isn't even hurt." She slammed on the brakes. "Oh fuck. Go go!" The 'injured' man pulled out a gun and fired as hunters revealed themselves and started throwing things at the car. Ellie gasped as her window broke and reached for her gun firing it out of the window. "Oh shit!" Ellie pulled back as a bus drove past, hitting the back of the truck and sent it spinning.

They swerved into a garage, wrecking the car. Tess reached for Ellie's hand. "Be okay, be okay." She looked at the younger girl. "Tess, Tess! I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Then get out quick." Tess popped off her seatbelt and Ellie's right before the passenger door swung open and Ellie was scooped up by a hunter.

"Get the fuck off me!" Ellie struggled and kicked. "You shit, get the fuck away from her!" Tess tried to pull Ellie back to her before she was grabbed by another hunter.

"Tess!" Tess was slammed to the ground and straddled. The hunter held his hand over her mouth and pulled his arm back for a punch. Tess quickly bit as hard as she could and when he drew his hand back in pain, punched him off of her. She swung out her pistol and shot him in the face.

Ellie was still struggling against her captor when he slapped her and straddled her, his hands locked around her throat. "I'll show you." He croaked. Tess aimed and fired, the body falling over. Ellie slid out from underneath him. "Motherfucker." She coughed. Tess helped her up. "Grab your bag. We're going after these sons of bitches."

"Take cover!" Ellie said pulling out her gun. she shot a hunter in the chest with her pistol. Ellie took out her bow, having found a dozen in the garage. Tess took out her revolver and they both crept through the stores along the street. Ellie took out as many hunters as she could with her bow because it was a quieter weapon than a gun. However arrows weren't easy to find unless she retrieved them from the bodies but that was too risky at the moment.

Tess snuck behind a hunter in the store and strangled him. Man luck was on their side for now.

"Alright." Ellie put her bow back on her back. "I think that's all of them." Tess let out a sigh of relief. "You did a good job." Tess complimented. "Oh you think that was good? You should see me with a brick." Ellie smirked.

"Let's get the hell out of here. Go ahead and get your good arrows back and look for supplies."

They reached another garage and Tess lifted the door up. "Get it propped up." Ellie went in and stopped, a small "Whoa" escaping her lips. "Ellie, anytime now!"

"Right."

Ellie anchored the chain that held the door with her foot, allowing Tess to go under. "Look." Tess turned around and inhaled sharply. There were headless, rotting bodies on tables. "Fucking hunters. That could've been us."

Ellie tried to lighten the mood. "No way. We're too good. Girl power or something like that right?"

"I should've turned the truck around." Tess mumbled walking towards the door. "How did you know about the ambush?" Ellie asked as the walked up a flight of stairs. "I've been on both sides. It was always more believable if a woman played the victim."

"You kill a lot of innocent people?" Tess raised an eyebrow. "What makes someone innocent or not? I mean, survival of the fittest." Tess opened a door and walked in. Ellie pondered on the statement. "I'll take that as a yes." She said as she walked outside. "That's our way out right?" She pointed to a bridge in the distance. Tess nodded.

They tossed a nail bomb into another group of hunters as they moved quickly and quietly. "We're doing good." Ellie whispered excitedly. "Don't test our luck." Tess smirked.

"I hear hunters." Tess said.

"I'm so tired. We were up all night hunting the tourists, man. This one chick took like five hours to hunt down. We were about to give up before she started shooting at us. Stupid. She could've gotten away." Ellie shook her head in disgust and pity.

Ellie picked off the hunters with her bow, only missing a couple of times.

"Bossman says we're gonna expand our perimeters. Maybe we'd find some old projectors. I'd like to watch some movies or something." Ellie let the string on her bow go back into shape. She never realized how...human the bad guys could be. Killing infected were different. They only had one side to them. Ellie looked at Tess's hardened face and wondered about her past. How many people she had killed. Their stories.

Survival of the fittest?

* * *

_A shorter chapter to lead into the Pittsburgh arc. ;)  
_


	5. Pittsburgh: Part One

_Thanks for the feedback guys. You guys are the beesknees.  
_

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Ellie and Tess decided they would cut through the hotel. They made their way through the coffee shop across the way. "Ew this place stinks." Ellie commented. Tess nodded. "That classic smell of rotten wood." Ellie smiled, imagining the coffee shop filled with busy people. "You ever come here a lot?" Tess shook her head. "Nah, I wasn't that kind of girl. You could either find me at bars or milkshake joints. I can't stand coffee."

They walked into the hotel and Ellie looked around in marvel. "Whoa, this is fancy. Ever stay in a place like this? Before it all went to shit I mean." Tess laughed. "Oh I wish. I've only stayed in a place like this once. I mostly motel hopped. And believe me those are not nearly as fancy." The duo climbed to the second floor before crouching out of the sight of hunters. Tess aimed her gun and quickly shot the two hunters in the room. "Come one, move fast." Tess said nudging Ellie through the window. Unfortunately, they weren't the only two and more hunters ran their way. Ellie shot at them, picking off a few in the fire fight.

"There's a ladder in the elevator!" Ellie pointed. They shimmied through the shaft and lowered themselves onto a elevator car. Tess boosted Ellie up quickly and jumped for Ellie's hand right as the car started to fall apart. "Holy- Did you see that coming?" Ellie yelled. "No." Tess tried to grip the walls but failed. "Ellie let go! There's water down here. I'll find my way back to you, I swear." Ellie looked at Tess like she was insane. "What? Fuck no!"

Tess sighed. "Trust me, Ellie. Let go." Ellie looked at Tess then slowly let her hand go. Tess braced herself for impact with the cold water. "Tess!" Tess breached the surface. "I'm fine! Be careful!" Tess yelled before diving under the water. There were so many dead bodies here. She waded into shallow water. She pulled on her gas mask, noticing spores.

She came to a locked door. "Damn keycards." She muttered before searching the area. Finally she found it on a desk. She heard running behind her and turned just in time to block the blow of a stalker. "Shit." She ran for the door before others came.

There were more hunters in what looked like a kitchen. "Got it!" One of them said after killing a clicker. "Are you bit?" The other asked worriedly."

"Not today."

Tess snuck up behind one of the hunters and stabbed him in the neck. Suddenly she felt the burning shock of a bullet ripping into her left shoulder. She winced and shot at the source and ran through the hotel. Suddenly she was tackled into a pool of water and held down. She struggled weakly, the pain in her shoulder a handicap.

Tess tried to reach for her knife until a gunshot rang out and the hunter fell into the water next to her. She looked up at Ellie who was still holding the gun. "This is what- the second time you've saved my life, huh?" Tess struggled out of the water. "Your shoulder." Ellie reached into her backpack and pulled out a roll of gauze. "Besides, don't act like you haven't been carrying me for the past few days, Tess." Ellie said and handed Tess some alcohol.

Tess winced as she poured alcohol on the gunshot wound. Ellie sat down next to her. "So what now?"

"Give me a second to fix this. Then we keep moving."

"Did you think you were going to die?" Ellie asked. Tess chuckled lightly. "I always think I'm gonna die, I guess. I'm not sure how to describe it."

Ellie nodded.

The two walked through the halls trying to find a way out. They occasionally came across a large window but it was too high to climb up to, especially with Tess's shoulder. They walked into a large ballroom with tall windows and gold chandeliers. "Okay Ellie, look for a way up." Tess readjusted her bandages, trying to make it more convenient to move around with. She walked towards a piano and pressed a few keys into a melody. "You play?" Ellie asked walking over.

"Nah I know one song and that's it. I can't even read sheet music. Here help me pushed this." They pushed the piano over to a walkway. Tess climbed up and onto the scaffolding outside the building. Ellie followed.

They breathed deeply until they heard voices below. "Shit, get down." Tess looked over the edge. There were way too many hunters to sneak past. "Okay, Ellie. I'm gonna go down and take some out. I need you to cover me with the rifle, okay?" Ellie nodded. "Do you know how to use this?"

"Kinda."

"Same concept as a videogame. Put your shoulder right into the stock cause it's gonna kick back, okay? As soon as you fire, get another round in there quick cause this shit is loud. If I get in trouble, make every shot count."

"I got this."

Ellie watched Tess carefully go down and took deep breaths. She could handle this. It was no different from a BB gun. Ellie concentrated hard and watched Tess's movements way below. Tess threw a molotov into a group of hunters and Ellie got ready as Tess sprinted behind a wall. Ellie aimed at one of the hunters running after Tess and fired, hitting him in the lower back. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reloaded. She fired at another hunter in the way of Tess's path. Tess went into another building and Ellie made sure no other hunters went after her. She heard struggling and gunfire below and hoped that Tess was alright.

Tess walked through an abandoned diner, revolver in hand. Ellie was handling things nicely outside. She crouched behind a counter when she heard a shotgun blast near her. She turned the corner and shot the offender. Then she ventured back in the opened, her shoulder aching for rest. "Almost done." Tess whispered to herself, crouching behind a car. She heard a rifle shot and a thud behind her and turned to see a dead hunter rolling to the ground.

Tess exhaled deeply. "Okay. Come on down, Ellie."

Tess checked the bodies for gear as Ellie walked towards her. "How'd I do?" Ellie asked nervously. Tess smiled. "Great. You're almost a better shot than I am."

"How's your shoulder?"

"I've been worse. Maybe we'll stumble on some painkillers." Tess said hopefully. Ellie handed the rifle back to Tess. "No keep it. If you can carry it." Ellie grinned and slung it through a loop on her backpack.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

_Ughhhhh I'm trying. I think I faltered in this chapter a tiny bit lol. But there might be two chapters coming today._


	6. Pittsburgh: Part Two

_Thanks for all the feedback. I apologize for not updating sooner I was dealing with reality. ^-^' But I'm on summer vacation so expect a few more chapters often. Oh! And June 14! TLOU Anniversary! Yay!  
_

* * *

"Come on, Ellie." Tess pulled Ellie onto the ledge of the building they had just explored. They shimmed along the edge until the heard the roar of the hunters' Humvee. "Shh...They cant see us." Tess said. She climbed into a window and looked back towards Ellie when she was grabbed from behind. "Tess!" Ellie charged at the attacker with her knife but was shoved back. "What the fuck?" Tess wasn't sure why this hunter was confused but took the opportunity to elbow him in the ribs and loosen his grasp. Tess straddled her attacker and punched him repeatedly, the pain in her shoulder stinging with every blow. "Tess! Stop! Stop!" Tess glanced at Ellie and the teen pointed across the room. A boy who looked a lot like Tess's attacker but younger stood at the door with a gun pointed at Tess and Ellie. They both slowly slid their hands up and Tess got off of the man, looking at her wound.

"Leave him alone." The young boy glared. "Easy kid." Tess stepped infront of Ellie. "It's alright." The man on the ground said. He turned to Tess. "Lady you hit _hard_." Tess scoffed. "Yeah well I was trying to kill you."

"Yeah I thought you guys were one of them too. Then I saw you." He pointed to Ellie. "In case you havent noticed they dont keep many kids around. Survival of the fittest."

"You're bleeding." The young boy took some gauze out of his pack. "I'm fine, I'm fine." The older man said and took the gun from the boy along with the gauze. Ellie turned her attention to Tess. "How's your shoulder?" Tess held her arm. "I'll be fine. The bleedings been stopped. I just gotta be more careful." Ellie smirked. "No more punching survivors."

"I'm Henry. This is my younger brother Sam. I caught your name was Tess?"

"I'm Ellie, by the way. Um are you guys alone?"

"We had a group. They're all dead." Sam said sharply. "Hey, we don't know that." Henry said. Sam rolled his eyes. "We came into town and got scattered." Henry said. Tess nodded, still carefully studying the two. "Now it's all about getting out of this shithole."

"Hey we could help eachother!" Ellie piped. Tess scowled. "Ellie-"

"Safety in numbers?" Ellie looked at Tess pleadingly. Henry nodded. "She's right."

Tess closed her eyes. This was all too much to handle right now. She knew that this would greatly slow them down and there was a feeling in the back of her mind that one of the duos were not going to get out of Pittsburgh alive.

"We have a hideout not too far from here. Safer if we chat there." Tess glanced at Ellie before nodding. "Fine. Let's go."

"Alright follow me." Henry motioned and started walking through the building.

Sam fell into step with Ellie. "Sorry about the gun thing." He told her. "Don't worry," Ellie said lightheartedly. "I would've done the same thing. Where you from?"

"All the way from Hartford."

Ellie whistled. "I heard some bad stuff going on down there." Henry turned to them. "We gotta be careful. We're right next to a lookout area."

"Is she your mom or something?" Sam motioned towards Tess who was pretending not to hear them. "Er...she's a friend. A friend of my mom. We're- nevermind it's not important."

They entered a toy shop and Henry motioned for them to get down just as the hunters' Humvee passed the windows. "Man, that fucking truck. It's been hounding us ever since we got here." Tess scoffed. "Believe me, everywhere we went there was a pack of hunters just waiting." Henry shook his head and looked back at Sam who was holding a toy robot. "Sam, what are you doing?!"

"N-nothing. I was just-"

"Get rid of it."

"Henry, my pack is basically empty. It weighs nothing."

"Henry walked close to his brother. "What's the rule about taking stuff? The rule?"

Sam exhale hard. "We only take what we have to."

"That's right." Henry glanced at Ellie and Tess who were watching in interest and confusion. "Now come on." Henry began walking again and Ellie swiftly took the toy off the floor and tucked it in her backpack. Tess gave her a small smirk. "Say, how far is this place?" Tess asked? "We're close. Real close." Sam said.

They walked into a garage where hunters were scattered around. "How many do you see?" Tess asked Henry forcefully. Then she heard the sound of a bullet hitting the wall beside them. "Shit, they saw us." Ellie loaded her rifle as Tess and Henry readied their handguns. Tess motioned towards Ellie to take the shot at a hunter while she took care of the other. Henry looked impressed. "Not bad, ladies." Tess scoffed. "Not bad? I didn't see you take a shot. Hey why doesn't that kid have a gun yet? Especially as long as you guys have been out here."

"Because I don't want him hurting himself." Henry said sharply looking between Ellie and Tess. "I can take care him. Just like you can take care of G.I Jane over here." Sam rolled his eyes as Ellie whispered, "Who's G.I Jane?"

They scaled buildings, occasionally taking out the loitering hunter. Finally they entered an office building. "You guys are pretty close to hunter's. You sure it's safe?" Tess quizzed as Henry unlocked the double doors to their hideout. "I'm the only one with the keys."

"And where'd you get that?"

"Hunter. He won't miss it." Henry swung the door open. "Everybody through. It's past here." He closed and locked the doors behind them.

"So. How old are you?" Sam shyly asked Ellie. "Fourteen. How old are you?"

"Uh..the same." He lied. Henry laughed from behind him. "Oh you're fourteen huh?"

"Hey, I'm close!"

They reached another door. "Here we are." Henry said unlocking it. "Welcome to my office." Ellie and Tess looked around. "How long how you guys been holed up in here?" Ellie asked Sam. "A few days. We found a bit of food though. Here." He led Ellie to one of the couches.

"Blueberries." Henry explained to Tess who was looking out of the window. "Found a whole stash of them. You want some?" Tess shook her head. "Maybe later."

"Hey relax. We're safe."

"Then why haven't you left?"

Henry shrugged. "Been waiting for the right opportunity. Check this out." He walked over to the window. "Look at these sons of bitches. Everyday they congregate down there. Guarding that damn bridge. Come nighttime? It's a skeleton crew. After sunset. That's our window. With most of them gone we can sneak right past them."

"And not a bullet wasted. That could work." Tess crossed her arms.

"Oh it will work. It'll definitely work." They heard laughter from the couch. Ellie and Sam were throwing the berries into the air and trying to catch them in their mouths. "Ow!" Ellie laughed as a blueberry hit her in the nose.

"Wow..." Henry said. "I haven't seen him crack a smile in a while. She doesn't seem bothered by all this." Tess nodded in agreement noting the same. "So where were you heading?"

"The Fireflies base. We were gonna join up." Tess laughed quietly. "Something funny?" Henry asked. Tess shook her head. "A lot of people putting their stock on the Fireflies. Putting their trust in Marlene."

"Maybe there's a reason for that."

"So you don't know where they are and your just gonna drag him across the country to find them?"

"I'll tell you what." Henry leaned closer and stared Tess down. "How about I worry about my brother, and you worry about your girl." Tess smirked and held her hands up. "Easy." She said forcefully. "We're after the Fireflies too."

Henry took out a map. "There's an abandoned military radio tower. Any survivors from our group are meeting us there. You and your girl wanna join us it goes down tonight." Tess nodded. "I guess we better rest up then."

Hours later Ellie gently nudged Tess from her slumber. "He says it's time to go."

* * *

_:3_


End file.
